


Back in the Game

by jessm78



Series: Twist of Tartan: The Next Chapter [4]
Category: Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-14 09:21:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29293605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessm78/pseuds/jessm78
Summary: In exchange for a captive TARDIS, an old foe of the Doctor forces him and his young friends into a familiar game. The goal? To fetch a powerful object. The problem? The Time Lord may just need to convince his earlier self to give it up … Fourth story in the Twist of Tartan: The Next Chapter series.
Series: Twist of Tartan: The Next Chapter [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1764268
Comments: 18
Kudos: 2





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Not my characters, except for the original male and female ones. This story and the series it's part of are written for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended. If you're new to this series, the Jamie most often featured here is James Duncan McCrimmon, Jamie's son. Alana is Zoe's daughter. I think that's about it. Hope you enjoy. :)

* * *

“Well!” the Doctor announced as he stuck his head out of the TARDIS. After a cursory look around, he made his way outside.

Following right behind him, Jamie blinked as he took in their new surroundings. One word to describe it: bleak. It seemed to resemble a swamp or forested area, though it was hard to make out any detail thanks to the thick fog that hung in the air. It was also a bit dark. He surmised it had to be late evening on this planet; unless it was this bleak all the time.

Much like the last few planets they had visited. He turned to gaze at his friend wearily.

The Doctor frowned for a brief moment and then shrugged. “Nice atmosphere, at least,” he conceded.

“Aye,” Jamie muttered sarcastically. “Can ye no' land us on a planet wi' a nice, warm beach for once ...”

He trailed off as he looked around, realizing something important was missing. Suddenly hearing the sound of a door shutting behind him, he felt his heart speed up. Turning, he heaved a sigh of relief as he caught Alana exiting the TARDIS and shutting the doors behind her.

As she caught him up, he reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Where've ye been?”

The girl stared up at him bewilderingly, as if she didn't believe she'd done anything wrong. Apparently having caught the worried tone of Jamie's voice, her expression turned apologetic. “Sorry. I wasn't sure what the atmosphere on this planet was going to be like, so I decided it best to be prepared.” She gestured to the beige trench coat she was wearing over her jumpsuit.

Jamie nodded. He folded his arms against himself and rubbed them a bit as he felt the slight chill in the air. Her concern was valid. He himself was glad he'd taken the extra black jacket from his father's wardrobe.

“Well, come on. Let's keep up wi' the Doctor,” he told her, taking her hand and leading her away from the direction of their ship. Where had the Doctor gone, anyway? Jamie could have sworn he was right in front of them. Blasted fog!

He'd walked a few more steps when his knees came into contact with something hard and solid, and he yelped. Desperately trying to prevent himself from falling over, he attempted to move back but then felt Alana grab his arm, steadying him at last. She said not a word, but pointed to the object with which he had collided.

Jamie felt his cheeks flame as the object moved and he realized it was only the Doctor, sitting on his haunches as he appeared to be studying something on the ground. It seemed he had been aware of the impact as well, given the pointed look he was giving Jamie as he straightened up.

“Sorry, Doctor,” he mumbled, looking away and trying to ignore Alana's giggling. “It's this bloody fog.”

“Language, Jamie,” the Time Lord shot back with a mock stern expression.

Jamie managed a slight grin as he snorted in amusement. “So, have ye found somethin'?” he asked, gesturing to the ground.

“I certainly have,” the Doctor replied, kneeling down once more. He quickly turned back to Jamie, pointing at him. “Careful, now.”

Rolling his eyes, Jamie held his hands up in surrender before joining him on the ground, pulling Alana close to them. He watched as the Doctor picked up what looked like some sort of artifact. Jamie's brows drew together as he studied the thing closely. It looked much like an old piece of china; a dish, perhaps? The Doctor brushed some of the dirt off and Jamie gazed in awe at the intricate, floral-like pattern around the outside. It almost reminded him of the fine china set his parents liked to use on special occasions. How did something like this get on this planet? It certainly didn't look inhabited. Then again, how could you even tell?

“Look at it,” Alana said quietly. “It's in quite good condition, even for having been buried here who knows long.”

“So, ye think there were people here?” Jamie asked.

“Dunno,” the Doctor replied distractedly, toying with some setting or other on his sonic screwdriver. He then appeared to be scanning the object for several seconds. Jamie watched as his eyes narrowed in concentration.

“So?”

“Mm, the results aren't conclusive but this dish appears to be close to a hundred years old or so.”

Jamie shrugged. Didn't seem like a big deal. It was curious however that there was no one around. On most of the other planets he had visited with the Doctor, there always seemed to be a group of natives there to greet them – friendly or otherwise.

“I wondered what happened to them,” Alana said, as if she were thinking out loud. She then eyed the Doctor worriedly. “Something to do with the atmosphere?”

“Nah, I doubt that,” he replied, smiling reassuringly. “I tested the atmosphere as soon as we left the TARDIS. Nothing toxic at all.”

Jamie nodded and then wrinkled his nose as he gazed around the area once more. The Doctor's discovery was interesting, but there really didn't seem to be much point to staying in such a desolate area. “Can't we go somewhere else?”

“What?” the Doctor nearly looked offended. “Blimey, you two, we've only just got here. There's more to see. I mean, who knows how much more of this stuff is lying around?” He gestured to his archaeological find. “Might tell us something about the inhabitants that are living here … or lived here ...”

“Och, let's go back to the TARDIS,” Jamie said, brushing him off. “We're no' gonna find anything else here.”

He turned to Alana who seemed to be growing nervous as she studied what little there was to see of their surroundings. “I don't like it here, Doctor. Please, can't we go back?” she nearly pleaded.

“Aye,” Jamie added, nodding firmly. He laid a hand on Alana's shoulder and proceeded to lead them both back in the direction of the TARDIS.

He heard the Time Lord's dramatic 'Oh, all right” and turned to see him beginning to follow, but he'd once again stopped and was crouching back down on the ground.

Jamie sighed and rolled his eyes. “Come on,” he told Alana. “He'll be along soon … if we're lucky. 'Least I've got a key.” He patted one of his jacket pockets where the TARDIS key was safely stowed away. “Now let's ..”

His voice died inside his throat as he stood before the now empty spot where he was sure they had landed.


	2. One

“Are you sure it was right here?” Alana asked dubiously.

Jamie gazed in frustration at the empty spot. “Aye, I know it was here!”

Finally having joined them, Doctor stared at the spot as well, perplexed. Like Jamie, he was sure the TARDIS had occupied this very spot only moments ago.

“Jamie is right,” he began. Crouching down once again and picking at the strange vegetation growing out of the ground. “I remember seeing these roots; they were all over the place when we first stepped out onto the planet.”

“Oh, so that's what ye were lookin' at when we turned tae leave.”

“Yep,” the Doctor replied, popping the 'p.'

Jamie suddenly appeared troubled. “Could they no' have swallowed up the TARDIS?”

The Time Lord shook his head. “No, I very much doubt that. We would have seen or heard it.” He stood up once more, eyes narrowed as he studied the space in front of them. “It's as if it just vanished.”

“Has it got some sort of homing signal?” Alana asked.

The Doctor failed to answer as something off in the distance caught his eye. It was a bit faint, but the blue, rectangular-shaped object sitting atop the gentle, densely vegetated slope looked awfully familiar. He walked about a dozen paces further until he could make it out clearly.

Yes, there was no mistaking it; there sat his precious ship.

Jamie appeared to have noticed it as well. “There it is! The TARDIS!” he exclaimed, pointing in its direction.

“Are you sure it's not a mirage?” Alana asked. She then seemed to be studying it intently for a moment, after which her eyes widened. “No, I see it, too! It's completely solid!”

“Aye, come on!” Jamie grabbed her hand and they excitedly rushed towards it.

“Wait!” the Doctor exclaimed as he grabbed Jamie by the arm, stopping them. He stared up at his ship again. Something was not quite right about all this.

A few ominous rumbles filled the air and the ground suddenly began to shake. “Get back!” he shouted. He and his young companions raced into the weeds at the edge of the path and stared in shock as the ground began to fall away, leaving a giant chasm between them and the TARDIS that appeared to be at least two hundred feet deep.

“Well, that's just great,” Jamie muttered in dread.

After another moment of staring at his beloved ship in disbelief, the Doctor turned back to them with an awkward shrug.

“Well, maybe we can take the long way round to get there. Maybe a path that heads over … in that direction ...” He trailed off helplessly. Goodness, he wished he could come up with something better. The expressions on his young friends' faces told him they felt the same.

“Oh, what are we going to do?” Alana wailed. Jamie wrapped a consoling arm around her shoulder, but he too appeared frustrated.

Before the Time Lord could say anything (not that he had anything ready to say), another loud noise pierced the air followed by a shaking sensation. Whipping his head around, he watched as a large, haphazard series of columns erupted from the chasm between the section of ground in which they stood and the bluff atop which the TARDIS sat.

The Doctor furrowed his brow in thought as he studied them. They were craggy sections of rock, some quite narrow, as if big enough for only one person to stand; others were wider. They were all of varying heights, but the differences looked to be about a foot or less. The overall pattern they were situated in was one the Time Lord found most interesting.

“Doctor?”

“Yes, Alana...”

“If you don't mind my saying so, this all looks a bit … calculated?”

“How do ye mean?” Jamie cut in, gazing at her curiously.

“Well, it's as if it was all done deliberately, as if someone wanted us to get across this chasm to reach the TARDIS.”

“Have to admit that did cross my mind,” the Doctor returned grimly. Yes, something about this was beginning to make an uncomfortable sense of deja vu stir inside him.

Shaking his head as if to clear it, he tried hard to push the feeling out of his mind and concentrate on the task at hand: how best to reach the TARDIS. It didn't look _too_ hard. And there was the added benefit of the air being still; no stiff breezes to deal with. If they could just take their time in their journey across ...

“All right, you two. Listen,” he began. “It looks rather easy. See? Not much of a gap in between each column. It's not as if we need mountain climbing gear and all that.” He stopped to purse his lips in thought. “Well, I've got all that with me, but I very much doubt we'll need it. If we go slow, we should get across safely. Now, this is what we're going to do ...”

“Um, Doctor?” Jamie interrupted.

The Doctor lifted his gaze to see what the young man was pointing at. The stillness of the scene before them was rudely halted by a flying swarm of … something … suddenly appearing, as if out of thin air. The Time Lord squinted. He couldn't tell exactly what the flying things were, but they seemed to resemble some odd sort of mutant bird with feathery wings and long, sharp beaks. He studied their moves intently. They flew concentric circles above the various columns and would occasionally dive bomb them.

Okay, things just got a bit more complicated. However, if they only ignored them, perhaps they wouldn't be much of a threat …

His desperate thoughts were abruptly pierced by loud, screeching cries.

“Blimey. Flying monkeys,” he deadpanned.

“What do we do now?” Jamie asked, eyeing him desperately.

The Doctor had tried to come up with an answer but was quickly interrupted by the sound of a disturbing laugh.

“Why, that's part of the fun,” a disembodied voice chided. “You want your ship so badly, you'll have to work to get it back.”

Recognizing the voice instantly, the Doctor became overcome with dread.

Trying to steady himself, he took in a gulp of the cool air. “All right. See, I was really, _really_ hoping never to see you again.”

“Who's he's talking to?” he barely heard Jamie whispering to Alana.

“I'm sorry to disappoint you, Doctor. No, on second thoughts, I'm not.”

The owner of the voice quickly took shape before them. The bejeweled, Chinese Mandarin robes and smug expression upon his face confirmed the Doctor's dreadful suspicion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's quite obvious who the mischief-maker is just by the description at the end, so I think it's safe to post this pic now, lol... Our intrepid heroes coming face to face with him. :)


	3. Two

“What's the matter, Doctor? Who is that?” Jamie asked, his voice barely above a whisper as he leaned close to the Doctor.

“The Toymaker,” the Time Lord replied darkly. Turning back to his foe, he fixed him with a glare. “Long time, no see.”

“Yes,” the Toymaker returned coolly. “Funny how time can change someone. Back then you were a crotchety old man.” His lip curled into a smirk. “Now you're a youthful clown.”

“Hey, you just watch yer lip, or I'll -”

“Jamie, no,” the Doctor interrupted, turning sharply to him and holding out a hand. He faced the Toymaker once again. “What do you want? We defeated you back then: me and Steven and Dodo when you forced us to perform all those tests! I saw the explosion just as we were dematerializing!”

The Toymaker chuckled. “Ah, yes. I would hope you were intelligent enough not to assume I had been destroyed; an immortal like me. Yes, my world had been destroyed, but I found a way to recreate it.”

“More like you stole some poor, unsuspecting planet and made it your own,” the Doctor spat bitterly.

“Believe whatever you'd like,” the Toymaker replied with that same annoying, angelic smile. It soon faded and he eyed the Doctor sternly, wagging a finger at him. “You did not play fair last time.”

The Time Lord scoffed.“Me?? _I_ didn't play fair? You're the one who kept changing the rules and giving us those ridiculous tests!” In his peripheral vision he caught his young friends eyeing him worriedly. Calming himself, he took a deep breath as he met the alien's gaze. “What do you want?”

“We've got a score to settle once and for all.”

“Never thought of you as the type to hold a grudge,” the Doctor retorted. “You want a rematch, eh?”

“Of course I do. The last outcome was far from the desired one.”

“Oh, I see, ye're a poor loser!” Jamie exclaimed. The Toymaker suddenly snapped his fingers in the young man's direction. “Gah!!” Jamie cried out, appearing as if gripped by an unseen force.

“Mind your tongue,” the Toymaker scolded him. His attention returned to the Doctor. “The boy is right. But it's not a matter of being a poor loser: it's a matter of 'I _never_ lose.'”

“Of course it is,” Doctor muttered dryly.

“If you complete the tests successfully,” the Toymaker began, stopping to pause dramatically, “You'll get your ship back.”

He stared intensely in the direction of the chasm and snapped his fingers again. The void, as well as the columns sticking out of it, gradually faded away and then disappeared altogether, as if they had never been there. They were then replaced by solid ground, on which a clearly marked, meandering path led up to the TARDIS.

“Oh, well, that's easy, then,” Jamie blurted.

Alana didn't seem to trust him, however, judging from the skeptical expression on her face as she gazed up at him. “I don't know. This seems all _too_ easy,” she said.

“I'm with you, Alana,” the Doctor agreed. “What's the catch, Toymaker?”

The alien being shrugged. “There is no catch.” A peaceful smile slowly spread across his face and he placed his hands together, palms up before bowing his head. “I am perfectly humbled. You are right, Doctor. There is no sense in continuing this pointless battle between us. Please accept my most sincere apologies.” His expression grew contrite as he gazed at them.

The Doctor eyed him suspiciously for a moment before turning back to his young friends and silently directing them to the path ahead. No, he certainly didn't trust the Toymaker. Despite encountering him only once before, he knew well enough he wouldn't let them escape easily.

If they could just reach the TARDIS fast enough before the sadistic being could activate whatever traps he had lying in wait for them ...

* * *

The Doctor estimated it had taken them somewhere between ten and fifteen minutes to reach his ship. The path had looked simple before they started out, but as he'd expected it was laden with traps. Not long after they had set off, the fog had quickly thickened to where they couldn't even see their hands in front of their faces (but his sonic screwdriver set to maximum had made quick work of that). Further along, those roots he had seen earlier had come to life and tangled around their legs, making it nearly impossible for them to move (but Jamie's knife had made quick work of that as well). He assumed these were the 'tests' the Toymaker was referring to, but surely he wouldn't present them with something so easy; not after the last encounter with him.

At long last, the shining beacon that was the TARDIS finally came clearly into view. Slowing his pace, the Time Lord felt awash in overwhelming relief as he gazed up at her, his face cracking into a huge grin. Hurriedly digging his key out of his inside suit jacket pocket, he gestured for Jamie and Alana to join him as he sprinted towards her. Only twenty feet to go …

… And just like that, she was gone again.

“Oh, come on!” Jamie growled in frustration.

The Toymaker suddenly reappeared in front of them, chuckling in amusement. “Oh, how incredibly naive you are,” he told them condescendingly. “You really thought I was going to let you go that easily?” He clucked his tongue in disappointment.

The Doctor heaved a frustrated sigh. “All right, spit it out. What is it you want?” he demanded.

“I have an important task for you to complete,” the Toymaker began.

“Oh, an important task,” the Doctor said, eyes widening expectantly. “Shockingly important or just marginally important?”

“It is quite important,” the alien replied, appearing impatient.

The Doctor pursed his lips, pretending to think it over agonizingly. “Hmmmm, well....” What exactly did this important task involve? He needed to do whatever he could to get his captive TARDIS back. Hopefully his two young friends would help make whatever it was slightly easier …

Seemingly reading his mind, The Toymaker turned sharply towards Jamie and Alana, pointing a finger at them. The two youngsters suddenly collapsed onto the ground, choking and coughing.

“What are you doing??!” the Doctor demanded.

“In case you need any further convincing,” the Toymaker responded coyly.

The Time Lord scowled at him in pure hatred. “Leave them alone! Whatever it is, I'll do it.”

The Toymaker seemed to think it over and, after a moment, Jamie and Alana ceased struggling.

The Doctor helped them up and then returned his gaze to his foe. “So, what is it you want us to do?”

“I want you to fetch an object for me,” the Toymaker began. “A very powerful object that will help me take over the universe.”

“Ah,” Jamie mouthed with a sarcastic nod of his head.

The alien seemed to ignore this. “It's an object called the TriSphere.” He pointed to the sky and an image appeared, as if he were projecting his thoughts. “It is capable of controlling magnetic and atmospheric conditions. You shall find it in the citadel on the planet Meloctis.”

Taking in the image projected before them, the Doctor's eyes widened in shock. He thought he had seen this object before, and the Toymaker's mention of its home planet only confirmed it. Yes, he had been to this planet before during one of his earlier incarnations. He was vaguely familiar with the characteristics of this TriSphere. As despicable as it sounded, it made sense why the Toymaker himself was after it.

“I know the object you're talking about,” he told the Toymaker. “But it's impossible. I can't fetch it for you.”

“Can't or shan't?” the Toymaker asked with a smirk. He turned toward Jamie and Alana once more, raising a pointed finger threateningly in their direction.

“No, I mean I literally can't fetch it because I need my ship to do so!” the Time Lord spat out insistently.

“Mm, good point.” The Toymaker rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “All right, I shall teleport you there.”

The Doctor furrowed his brow in confusion. “Teleport us?”

The Toymaker suddenly held up his hand, ready to snap his fingers.

“No, no, wait!!” The Time Lord shouted frantically, hands held out in front of him.

Before he could say 'boo', he heard the snap of the fingers and they immediately found themselves in a different location, a large telephone booth shaped object in front of them. It vaguely resembled the Travel Mat or 'T-Mat' he had come across several times; most famously during that business with the Ice Warriors on the Moon.

Jamie was cautiously touching his clothes and looking at his hands, as if to make sure he was in one piece. “Where are we?” he asked.

“Simply in another location on this planet, where my teleportion system resides,” the Toymaker replied, gesturing to the machine. “Now, if you don't mind ...”

“Well, if ye could transport us here with one snap o' the finger, why no' transport us to that planet this way? Or why no' just use it to retrieve that TriSphere thing ye're after?”

“My powers are not strong enough to do such a thing,” the alien replied, a touch of bitterness in his voice.

“Well, since you've got the technology to do it, then why don't you simply teleport yourself and retrieve it?” Alana asked.

The Toymaker shook his head patronizingly. “Silly girl. Where is the fun in doing something so simple?” His expression darkened. “And besides, my structural makeup prevents me from using it safely. Now ...” He once again gestured to the box, prompting them to enter.

Jamie gazed at him warily. “I don' trust him, Doctor,” he told the Time Lord quietly.

The Doctor leaned closer to him. “Neither do I. But play along. He's got a lot of power and can harm us with the snap of a finger. You've seen him demonstrate it on the two of you. Plus, we need to get the TARDIS back.”

Turning back to the Toymaker, he raised his hands and gave him a placating nod as he headed into the machine, gesturing to his young friends to do the same.

The Toymaker's mouth lifted into that sickeningly serene smile as he strolled over to the device and pressed a few buttons. “There, you shall arrive in no time flat. I'm giving you one hour, and one hour only to bring it back.” He was about to walk away when he suddenly turned back to them. “Oh, there is one more thing.”

The Doctor raised his eyebrows expectantly.

“It may not be as easy for you to acquire the TriSphere as you may be expecting.”

The Doctor frowned. “Why? Are you going to drop us there in the middle of a freak storm or violent war, or, you know, one of those dreaded zombie apocalypses?”

That smarmy smile was back. “You'll see,” he answered cryptically just before a loud hum filled the space around them.

* * *

In the blink of an eye, the verdant, tranquil landscape of Meloctis stretched out before them. Exiting the machine ahead of his companions, the Doctor gazed at their surroundings. Yes, it was all coming back to him now. “All right, I know where we have to go,” he told them.

Jamie met his gaze, brow furrowed. “Eh? Ye've been here before?”

“Yep. In a previous life, I was drawn to this planet to fetch the TriSphere and return it to some planet from which it was stolen, 'Ephrim' or something like that. We were fed images on the TARDIS scanner of the planet undergoing a near cataclysm. There was famine, destructive weather patterns and all that. It seemed the rotation of the planet had been thrown off by several degrees and this object was supposed to restore equilibrium.”

The young man regarded him quizzically as he cocked his head to the side.

“Return it to normal,” Alana supplied.

“Yes, exactly,” the Doctor said. “Ending all the calamities taking place.” His eyes narrowed. “It was a long, long time ago, but I remember getting the idea that the images weren't exactly real. And I think I know why.”

A look of realization seemed to cross their faces. “Aye, an' with the Toymaker's tricks, I'll bet he had somethin' tae do with it!” Jamie exclaimed.

“Yeah. Makes perfect sense to me.” The Doctor began to feel a bit uneasy. “We'd better hurry and find that thing. Come on, I know where the citadel is.”

A short walk later, they were safely inside Meloctis' large citadel. They had encountered guards but the Doctor was able to convince them with his psychic paper that he was a teacher taking two of his students on a field trip. The guards bought it, thankfully. Jamie seemed impressed while Alana was simply relieved.

“Now, if memory serves, it should be just inside this solarium,” the Doctor started, leading them into a big, open room. Right the middle was a dark, carved wooden pedestal with several steps leading up to it. On top of the pedestal sat the TriSphere: three polished, round blue stones, each contained in their own small platform connected to a dark green, marbled stone base.

The Doctor joined Alana and Jamie in gazing at it in awe until he was suddenly struck by a certain, very uncomfortable, memory.

They must have noticed. “Doctor, what's wrong?” Alana asked.

“I'll tell you later. Get back!” he replied hastily, rushing them to the edge of the room and taking refuge in a small alcove.

After a brief moment, a short, all-too-familiar chap with dark hair wearing a frock coat, bow tie and checked trousers, sneakily made his way toward the pedestal from the opposite corner of the room.

“Oh, no,” the Doctor groaned.


	4. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this doesn't get to confusing with not only the two Doctors, but two Jamies as well. Whenever both Jamies are in the scene, "Jamie" refers to, well, Jamie, and "young Jamie" is his son. And for a little extra something, here's a pic of everyone "meeting" each other for the first time (yes, the 2nd Doctor is there and not the 10th, but... er... the 10th is just out of frame; plus he's not quite as shocked to be meeting everyone as the rest are ;)).

“What is it, Doctor?” Jamie gazed at his friend worriedly. What had he seen? Failing an answer, he decided to see for himself. He moved past the Doctor, inching up to see around the edge of their hiding spot.

He suddenly felt a hand grip his arm tightly. “Don't let them see you!” the Time Lord hissed. Jamie wrinkled his nose indignantly at him for a brief moment as he dropped back down a bit and then slowly craned his neck to catch a glimpse into the center of the large room.

It didn't take long for him to recognize the chap who had taken a few steps toward the pedestal and then stopped, as if thinking something over. He was straight from the Doctor's memories the TARDIS had shown him! Jamie's eyes widened and he quickly turned to his friend, nudging him. “Hey, Doctor,” he whispered, “It's yer other self, the one that my ...”

Absently turning back to his earlier view, he trailed off and his jaw dropped upon finding two others following the other Doctor: a girl in a bluish, sparkly one-piece catsuit, and a young man in a kilt ...

Jamie felt a shiver run up his spine and for a moment found himself unable to move.

“Jamie?”

That was Alana's voice. He shook his head as if to clear it and turned to find her regarding him in concern.

“It's my Da,” he replied, his voice quiet in shock.

“What??” she nearly squeaked, earning a shrill 'shush' from the Doctor. “Sorry,” she mouthed to him. “Let me see.” She joined Jamie and he noticed the Doctor had a hand on her arm as well, cautioning her not to be noticed.

“Oh, hurry, Doctor. Suppose someone catches us!” a familiar voice cried urgently. Jamie watched Alana's eyes quickly widen.

“I … I can't believe … Th-that's my mum?!” she hissed.

“Yes, it is,” the Doctor muttered, looking quite uncomfortable.

She still appeared shocked, but there now seemed to be a hint of excitement in her face as well. She edged closer to the Doctor. “Would there be any problem with Jamie and I running into our parents? Some sort of time paradox that could occur?”

Jamie regarded her incredulously. Didn't they have much more important things to worry about at the moment?

“No,” the Time Lord replied with a shake of his head. “It's not the same as meeting your actual selves. But it could definitely cause problems later should they remember. Never good for one to know one's own future. But I can take care of that by wiping the memories from their minds.”

Alana nodded thoughtfully and then frowned. “I can't believe the Toymaker dropped us here at the same exact time they were here.”

“Aye, almost as if he meant tae do it,” Jamie grumbled. “I'll smash him when we get back.”

He then caught the sudden, worried look on Alana's face. “They're headed straight for the TriSphere.”

“Well, we've got tae stop them, then.”

“I agree, Jamie,” the Doctor said. “But how? I mean, I could just _try_ to convince him not to --”

“Even better,” Jamie interrupted hastily. “We can create a diversion. Distract 'em and when they leave we'll nick it an' be on our way … back to yer friend there.”

The Time Lord's eyes narrowed in thought. “Mm. So one of us just runs into the center of the room with our hair on fire? 'Cos I'll tell ya right now it's not gonna be me.”

Jamie rolled his eyes. “Of course not.” Suddenly struck with an idea, he turned to Alana. “Scream as loud as ye can.”

She stared at him as if he had suddenly grown several heads. “No! Why should I do that?”

“Have ye got any better ideas?” he retorted.

She appeared to think for a moment and then shook her head in futility.

“We need that object, Alana,” the Doctor said, eyeing her seriously. “Do you want to be stuck on the Toymaker's planet for the rest of your life? Cut off from the TARDIS, and, ultimately, your home and family?”

She met his gaze briefly and then sighed. “All right.” Jamie watched as she took a deep breath and then quickly placed his hands over his ears as she let out a blood-curdling scream.

“Who's there?” The voice was so identical to his own it made the hairs on Jamie's arms stand up. Slowly peering out of their hiding place, he found his Da looking about the room, trying to locate the source of the scream. “This way,” he finally said, pointing. He grabbed Zoe by the arm and the two headed for the edge of the room.

Jamie instantly grabbed hold of the Doctor and Alana, prompting them all to duck down further out of sight. He let several moments pass before carefully raising his head and scoping the area. “Now's our chance,” he whispered to them.

Risking a second glance to make sure the coast was clear, he groaned. The other Doctor was still there, looking about the room warily before returning his attention to the object.

“Och, come on,” Jamie groused. “Can we no' do somethin' tae distract him, Doctor? We don' have much time!”

“What could we do, Jamie?” the Time Lord asked, sounding nearly exasperated despite his quiet tone. “We already tried screaming. In case you didn't notice, Mum and Dad there are already off in pursuit. We try it again, they're bound to find us.”

“Then what do we do?”

The Doctor sighed. He himself got a glimpse of the room and then straightened up, putting on a bit of bravado as he pretended to straighten up his tie. “I'll just approach him and try old-fashioned diplomacy.”

Jamie shut his eyes miserably and sighed. As if that were going to do any good. They were already pressed for time. He looked on in futility as the Time Lord made his way out of the alcove and toward the center of the large room. Jamie then felt his eyes widen as he witnessed the other Doctor slowly starting to climb the steps up to the pedestal.

* * *

Nearing the top step, the Doctor smiled inwardly as he gazed upon the TriSphere, the device that had been stolen from the planet Ephrim. They would snatch it away, make a quick dash back to the TARDIS, and return it to its rightful owners. At last he would be able to help bring things back to normal on that planet.

Briefly turning, he frowned upon finding himself alone in the room. Surely Jamie and Zoe had found the source of that odd scream and were making their way back. He hoped they hadn't been attacked or kidnapped. Once the object was safely in his possession, he would investigate.

“Ah, yes. Splendid,” he muttered, smiling in satisfaction as he finally reached the pedestal. He laid his hands upon the TriSphere ...

“Oh, no ye don't!”

It was Jamie's voice, somewhere behind him. Before he could turn around he suddenly felt someone grab and knock him over.

“Oh, my word!” the Time Lord exclaimed. He'd fallen back and before he knew it, the two of them tumbled down the short steps and onto the floor. “Jamie, what are you --”

His voice died inside his throat as he stared in shock at the face of his assailant. It was Jamie, but at the same time, _not_ Jamie. Physically, he looked just like him, especially in the face. Apart from the kilt, however, he was wearing different clothing. His hair was also different – slightly longer and shaggier.

Yes, he was Jamie, all right, but a different Jamie. From the future, perhaps? Why then would he be trying to stop the Doctor from taking the TriSphere? Perhaps he was from a different time line altogether, one in which taking this object would have very dire consequences?

He stared at this Jamie for what seemed like hours, when it was probably no more than mere seconds. There was so much he wanted to say, to ask …

… When he was stopped by the sudden appearance in his peripheral vision of a tartan blur. “Hey! Leave the Doctor alone!” a voice – which must have been 'his' Jamie's – cried.

The other Jamie was trying to pry the object from the Doctor's hands when a familiar cry filled the room: “Craig an tuire!”

The Doctor stared, slack-jawed in amazement as he watched 'his' Jamie wrestle with a near doppelganger. The Time Lord winced as he managed to land a punch to the other young man's face.

“No! Please! Ye gotta listen to me!” the other Jamie pleaded. He even sounded just like 'his' Jamie.

Speaking of whom, he was about to land another punch when his fist froze mid-air. It seemed he'd finally gotten a good look at the other young man and his jaw dropped. The Doctor couldn't imagine what was going through his head at this moment. He probably thought he was staring at his reflection.

“Are you me?” his Jamie asked, his voice so quiet the Time Lord nearly had to strain in order to hear it. “Ye _can't_ be me...”

The other Jamie had briefly dabbed at his own nose, perhaps to make sure it wasn't bleeding or worse. “No. I'm no' ye,” he replied, his face as serious as a heart attack.

His Jamie stared at the other in disbelief. “But ye look so much like me, right down to the ...”

The other young man simply grabbed his shirt and jacket collars, pulling them back to reveal a small birthmark just above his collarbone.

“It's what tells us apart,” he said. “I'm yer son.”

His Jamie's jaw was nearly on the ground. “My _what_?!” The Doctor couldn't blame him; he himself had been shocked into silence.

“Yer son,” the other Jamie repeated, an almost sad smile on his face. “I'm called 'Jamie' as well. James Duncan McCrimmon.”

His Jamie continued to stare, baffled. “When did I have a son?”

His son seemed on the verge of telling him when a taller, scrawny man suddenly nudged him. “You can fill him in later, Jamie.” The Doctor gazed at him for a moment as a stark realization immediately struck.

He quickly diverted his attention to Zoe and a girl who looked so much like her as well; again, save for different clothes and longer hair. Zoe was staring at her virtual lookalike, mouth open but no words coming forth. “Are you …?” she finally started.

“Your daughter, Alana,” the other girl finished for her, a whisper of a smile upon her face.

Zoe's brow furrowed. “But how...?” A look of terror seemed to cross her face as she turned to Jamie, pointing to him and then back to herself. “Does this mean that we …?”

The other Jamie shared a look with this Alana, the two seemingly trying hard to keep from laughing. “No.”

Jamie and Zoe visibly relaxed. The Doctor couldn't help chuckling to himself. He had another look at the taller, thin young man with spiky brown hair wearing a pin-striped suit and trainers. His smile faded as he gazed at him.

“So, you are me.” He looked him over thoughtfully. “Quite a young whipper-snapper, aren't you.”

His other self narrowed his eyes slightly as he stared back. “Technically I'm older than you by about eight incarnations or so,” he said. A quirky grin lit up his face. “But I'll take that as a compliment.”

The Doctor merely grumbled in reply before his gaze settled upon the object in his hands. “What are you doing here?” he asked his younger – no, older – self, accusingly. “Why are you trying to keep us from taking the TriSphere?”

“We need it,” the other Doctor replied simply.

The Doctor frowned. “Well, I'm afraid you'll have to make do without it. A whole planet is at stake. We need to return it to them.”

His other self merely stared at him, eyes tinged with something like pity. “Are you absolutely sure the TARDIS was the one feeding you these images? I mean, come on. You must remember that whole business with the Land of Fiction. That happened not so long ago, didn't it?” His brow scrunched in thought. “Well, for you, anyway … for me it might as well be eons ago.”

The other 'him' had a point, but, no; the Master Brain had been destroyed. “Yes, I'm absolutely sure of it.”

His other self regarded him skeptically. “You sure? I'm really starting to wonder if someone else is behind this.”

The Time Lord blinked. “You're eight incarnations of me into the future and you're only beginning to speculate on this now?” he deadpanned.

The other Doctor's face flushed and he looked away with a sniff. “Well, you know, I've been rather preoccupied ...” His expression was grave as he turned back to meet the Doctor's gaze. “I'm serious. Could this have been someone else's doing?”

The Doctor took a moment to think. “Well, I suppose it is possible, but who would do such a thing?”

“Dunno.” His other self narrowed his eyes in thought. “Though I think might have an idea.” He met the Doctor's gaze again. “Look, I really, _really_ need this object. The Toymaker has my TARDIS hostage – again – and has threatened young Jamie and Alana.”

The Doctor regarded him dubiously. “I thought his world had been destroyed. I never expected to be tangling with him again. At least I hoped I wouldn't be.”

“Aye, it's true!” the other Jamie spoke up. “He did this thing where he pointed his finger at us an' our throats started closin' up!”

He felt his hearts fill with pity as he studied the two youngsters, no matter how much they resembled his current companions. They certainly were in a bit of a pickle. He was sure there was a planet that needed his help, but he couldn't leave his other self and these two innocent young people at the tender mercy of such a powerful, sadistic being.

“Well, all right.” He offered the TriSphere to his future self and then eyed him sternly, pointing a finger at him. “But if those images from the TARDIS were real ...”

“... Then I'll have her cook up a reasonable facsimile of it for you,” his future self finished. “There's no doubt she can do it – you know how brilliant she is.” He accepted the TriSphere and then nodded in thanks. “Well, we'd best get on.” He nodded to his companions, both of whom eyed him incredulously.

“Wait!” the Doctor called after him, causing him to turn and take a few steps back. “You know how powerful he is. Are you sure you don't need our help?”

“Now that you mention it, there is something you could help me out with. You know, just as an insurance policy.” His lighthearted manner suddenly faded and he met the Doctor's gaze seriously. The Doctor suddenly took in a stream of information being shared by his older self. It took a few moments for him to process it, but in the end he understood perfectly.

“Ah, yes. Of course,” he answered with a nod.

His future self smiled gratefully and then gestured for his two young friends to join him. Poor things, they both still appeared reluctant to leave.

“Don't worry. It'll be all right,” the Doctor told them with a smile. Yes, he did feel quite certain of that as he watched them all leave.

He then found Jamie sidling up to him. “Hey, Doctor? Who's this Toymaker fella?”

The Time Lord simply sighed.

* * *

Safely ensconced inside the Toymaker's teleportation device with Jamie and Alana, the Doctor afforded a glance at his watch. They were about thirty seconds shy of the one hour the Toymaker had given them to bring back the TriSphere. He breathed a sigh of relief. They would give that wretched being his precious toy in exchange for the TARDIS and be on their way.

He was indebted to his earlier self for agreeing to give it up. He knew he would agree; heck, he _was_ him. But he still hadn't expected it to be easy.

Another blink of an eye and the bright, lush landscape of Meloctis was replaced by the gloomy, dense atmosphere of the Toymaker's world. Well, this was it. The Time Lord tightly clutched the object that would – hopefully – be their ticket out of this maddening 'game.'

He stepped out of the machine with his companions closely following. Gazing at their surroundings, he frowned. Nothing but desolation as far as he could see which, admittedly, wasn't very far at all.

“Well?” Jamie called out impatiently. “We brought yer precious contraption. Now are ye gonna let us go or no'?”

The Toymaker finally materialized in front of them, regarding them expectantly.

“There you are,” the Doctor told him coldly, presenting him with the TriSphere. “It's yours. We brought it back just as we said we would, in the time you allotted us.”

“Very good. Thank you, Doctor,” the Toymaker replied, taking it from him. The Time Lord released the breath he had been holding as he witnessed the alien's pleased expression …

… Which quickly morphed into a malicious smirk.

“But you still lose.”


	5. Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the Jamie vs. Young Jamie in the second half of this chapter isn't too confusing! It's in Young Jamie's POV, so whenever you see "Jamie" it's referring to him... and "Jamie's Da" or "his Da" is of course the original Jamie. :)
> 
> Also I've got a couple of pics. The first one should have been posted with the last chapter, but I wanted to post it anyway. It's the two Jamies meeting each other. The second is Jamie and Zoe's reaction upon being aboard the 10th Doctor's TARDIS.

Standing frozen in place and shocked into silence along with his young friends, the Doctor gaped up at the Toymaker. Granted, this turn of events shouldn't have been surprising given his duplicitous nature, but it was still too much.

Finally Jamie spoke. “What do ye mean, we still lose? We brought that TriSphere thing back! Isn't that what ye ordered us tae do?!”

“Mm, yes.” The Toymaker's smirk inched higher before his stern frown returned. “But you did not return it to me within the designated time.” The Time Lord and his companions turned to each other, sharing an incredulous look. “I said you had one hour and one hour only in which to bring it here, and you brought it in ...” He paused to look at a device in his hand, one that resembled an elaborate stopwatch of sorts. “ … One hour and twelve seconds.”

“What?!” the Doctor exploded, his eyebrows threatening to leap off his head. Recovering slightly, he scoffed at the alien. “Oh, come on! So it's twelve seconds. Nobody's perfect!” He looked away awkwardly. “Plus, you know … inter-dimensional travel is so popular nowadays, you're lucky you can arrive anywhere less than twelve _minutes_ late … all those pesky traffic jams ...”

“Stop wasting my time!” the Toymaker thundered. “You lost the game and now you must pay the penalty.” He directed his attention to Jamie and Alana, eyeing them threateningly.

“What're ye gonna do to us??!” Jamie asked, fear in his eyes.

“Look, leave them alone,” the Doctor cut in sternly. “They've got nothing to do with this. It's me you're after.”

“Mm. Yes, you're right,” the Toymaker said, suddenly appearing to have a change of heart. He seemed mired in thought for a moment before sharply turning back to the two youngsters and pointing straight at them. Immediately they began to writhe in pain.

“Stop it!” a new voice suddenly demanded.

Wheeling around, the Doctor felt his jaw drop as he witnessed his earlier self, along with the other Jamie and Zoe. The young Scot and astrophysicist looked quite worried while his earlier self glared angrily at the Toymaker.

The alien's concentration appeared to have been broken and his hand fell down to his side. The Doctor heaved a sigh of relief as he watched Jamie and Alana stop struggling. Attempting to catch their breath they ungracefully got to their feet.

As the Toymaker came face to face with the earlier Doctor, his eyes widened in apparent shock. The Time Lord grinned inwardly. It seemed he'd never faced two incarnations of him before at the same time – together.

His earlier self held the Toymaker's gaze in an unrelenting glare when his eyes were suddenly tinged with what appeared to be stark realization. “You had this all planned, didn't you?” he said, voice quiet in anger. He gestured to the Doctor, young Jamie and Alana. “He and his companions meeting us on that planet, at that specified time.”

“Yes, I was curious about what would happen if he were to run into his other self,” the Toymaker admitted coyly. A sickening grin spread across his face. “Actually, I found the very idea amusing.”

“Jolly good to know we could provide you such amusement.”

“Well, his whole world was destroyed,” the Doctor told his earlier self with a casual shrug as he approached him. “Must've been utterly boring. I mean … no toys to play with and all.”

“So he had to make do with us.” The earlier Doctor gazed scornfully up at the Toymaker. “Those images of Meloctis. They weren't real. You created them and fed them to the TARDIS!”

The Toymaker simply laughed. So, that actually _had_ been his doing!

“Well, I'm afraid your playtime is now over,” the Time Lord's earlier self asserted. “We're through here.”

The Doctor gave a definitive nod and then suddenly noticed something in his peripheral vision. About twenty yards away sat the TARDIS. Gazing longingly at his beloved ship, he felt an idea strike. It was pretty out there, but perhaps just crazy enough to work. Just to make sure there weren't any snags, he dug his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and quickly aimed it in the ship's direction before quickly pocketing it again.

Risking a surreptitious glance at the Toymaker, he noticed the alien seemed preoccupied in explaining his stopwatch device to Zoe. She appeared rather interested in knowing how it worked, the technical details and all that. The Time Lord felt a grin twitching at the corner of his mouth. That girl was always so bright; it wouldn't surprise him if she'd caught onto his train of thought and aimed to create a diversion.

He sneakily neared Jamie and Alana, one eye on the Toymaker the entire time to ensure he was properly distracted. “Listen, you two,” he said quietly, bringing them close to him in a huddle. “I want you to sneak over to the TARDIS and get inside.” He quickly gestured in the direction of the ship.

They both appeared skeptical. “What if he's got some sort of force field around it?” Alana asked.

“Aye!”

“Trust me, he hasn't,” he insisted quietly, holding up his screwdriver for emphasis.

Young Jamie and Alana shared a look before regarding him in resignation. “All right. But what're ye gonna do?” young Jamie asked.

“Not to worry. We've just got to settle a little score,” the Time Lord replied. “We'll join you as soon as we've done that.”

“Oh, do be careful, Doctor,” Alana pleaded.

The Doctor reached out to pat her shoulder. “We will,” he assured her with a soft smile. He watched as the two gingerly but quickly made their way in the direction of the TARDIS.

Once he was sure they had made it there safely, he approached his other self. The Time Lord inwardly breathed a sigh of relief as he found the Toymaker still distracted, this time by Jamie who seemed to be feigning interest in details of the alien's earlier escapades.

His earlier self gazed almost knowingly at him. “You've got a plan, haven't you.”

The Doctor regarded him innocently. “How'd you know?”

His earlier self grinned, shaking his head almost in amusement. “I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer, old chap.” His grin faded and he gazed at the Doctor expectantly. “So, what do you propose?”

The Time Lord's eyes narrowed as he studied the Toymaker. “I was just thinking about the last time I – sorry, we – outsmarted him. We had to defeat him by commanding those chess pieces in his own tone of voice, right?”

His other self regarded him expectantly. “Yes,” he replied, drawing the word out a bit.

“And just earlier he made us think he was letting us go, allowing us to take that path to get to the TARDIS. But in true form, he placed all sorts of hazards along the way, like a thick fog. As I tried to fight it off with my screwdriver, I did a little chemical analysis and _boom_.”

“'Boom'?” his earlier self repeated, eyebrows slipping underneath his fringe.

“The chemical makeup of the fog could be very easily altered into a very unstable form of energy,” the Doctor elaborated excitedly. “And such a huge amount could be enough to attack the Toymaker. Not to kill him, obviously, but it should harm him enough to create a large enough distraction for us to get away.”

The earlier Doctor's eyes narrowed and he stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Hm. You know, you may have something there,” he said after a moment. A grin slowly spread across his face. “Yes, indeed ...”

The Toymaker suddenly turned to face them. “Mind sharing what you both have been talking about all this time?” he asked, eyeing them suspiciously.

The Doctor nearly jumped in surprise. “Oh! Er, well ...” Now was not a good time to be at a loss for words, but here he was. And realizing what his earlier counterpart was up to, it might work to their advantage. He continued to hem and haw as Jamie and Zoe made for the TARDIS.

Once they had made it there safely, his younger self turned back to the Toymaker with an innocent expression as he began to fidget with his hands. “Well, we … we were hoping to offer you a sort of compromise. An 'IOU' of sorts. You shall let us go and the very next time we meet up with you, we --”

“You're deeply mistaken, Doctors,” the Toymaker interrupted, a condescending smile on his face as he shook his head. “You've still lost the game and now I am free to do with you what I wish.”

The Doctor shrugged, feigning resignation. “All right, fine. Go ahead. But you may find it a teensy, weensy bit harder than you'd expected.” He gestured to his other self with a nod.

He barely caught the Toymaker's amused grin before he shut his eyes. “Contact,” he said in unison with his younger self. As their connection was established he channeled as much energy as he could muster, combining it with that of his other self. Once he was sure they had enough in place, he tentatively reopened his eyes to find a large concentration of fog sitting heavy in the air.

Yes, very good, but not quite there yet. Shutting his eyes once more, he concentrated harder for several moments and then reopened them to see the fog had turned into a large, bright cloud of highly concentrated energy in which small, electrical charges danced like tiny bolts of lightning. The dense cloud floated before them, as if awaiting further instructions.

It was now 'go' time. Briefly turning to his earlier self, the Doctor shared a decisive nod with him. “Attack the Toymaker!” they commanded in the Toymaker's tone of voice.

The cloud appeared to hesitate for the slightest second before quickly rushing the Toymaker. The alien being uttered a yelp in surprise and the Time Lord watched in fascination as the energy cloud completely enveloped him. The way the cloud changed color made it obvious the energy was becoming unstable. Realizing they had only seconds to act, he shook himself out of his stupor and grabbed his predecessor's arm.

“Run!” he shouted before they hightailed it towards his ship, trying hard to ignore the torturous cries of agony behind them.

* * *

Young Jamie grinned in amusement and elbowed Alana as he watched his Da and Zoe gaping in awe at the TARDIS interior. He could imagine what a shock it was to them; after all, based on what he had seen she had looked quite different back when they had been traveling with the Doctor. Still, they'd been inside for what had to be at least ten minutes and their shock hadn't eased one iota. He couldn't help being amused.

He accidentally uttered a soft snicker and his Da had caught him, if the expression on his face was anything to go by. “What're ye laughin' at?”

“Sorry, Da ...” Jamie told him, holding up his hands placatingly. He then caught himself, scrunching up his face. “Och, this is so weird....”

“Ye can say that again,” his Da agreed. How odd it must have felt for him to be with his son who appeared around the same age as he himself. He seemed to be having a bit of trouble looking Jamie in the eyes and when he finally met his gaze appeared a bit shamefaced. “Sorry aboot the ...” He trailed off and curled his hands into fists, almost miming a boxing move.

Jamie grinned in amusement. “It's fine. Ye didnae know … An' ye were only tryin' tae protect the Doctor.”

His Da looked away and nodded. A slight awkward smile twitched at his lips as he met Jamie's gaze once again. “I cannae believe ye're my son,” he said softly, a bit of fondness in his voice. “I'd love tae know how ye --”

“I know,” Jamie interrupted with a nod. He gazed sadly at his father. “But I dinnae think I can tell ye.”

“Yes, I very much doubt that would be a good idea,” Alana added, shooting a contrite look at her mother. Luckily she seemed to understand perfectly.

Jamie's Da looked slightly disappointed as he shared a look with Zoe and then shrugged. “I hope the Doctors are all right,” he said.

“Aye,” Jamie agreed. “What do ye think they were playin' at? I hope they can outsmart that Toymaker.”

Almost on cue, a familiar, whooshing noise filled the room and the column at the center of the console began to move slightly “What is that?!”

“It sounds as if we're dematerializing!” Alana exclaimed. She looked to her mother for confirmation. “Doesn't it?”

Zoe nodded, almost appearing worried.

“Oh, no, we can't leave them behind!” Jamie's Da cried. He looked desperately at the controls on the console. “How do ye work this thing?”

Jamie shrugged helplessly. He felt like kicking himself for never asking the Doctor what each of these controls did. Perhaps he could have stopped it.

He was thrown from his ruminations as the TARDIS doors suddenly opened and both Doctors rushed inside.

Jamie watched as his Da ran over to his Doctor, clutching his shoulder. “Wha' happened? Are ye all right??”

“Yes, Jamie, I'm fine,” the earlier Doctor uttered, trying hard to get his breath. “We're fine.” His attention was now on Jamie's Doctor who was busy checking some of the controls.

Jamie hated to interrupt but he had to know what was going on. “What happened to the Toymaker, Doctor?”

“He's a bit preoccupied at the moment, Jamie,” he replied quickly, subtly gesturing toward the screen. “We'd best get out of here while we can.”

Jamie's jaw went slack at the image playing out on the screen. He could barely see the Toymaker's face as he was totally enveloped in an angry-looking cloud of sorts. Within seconds, the cloud had become an almost dense fog filled with bright lightning bolts. The only sign of the Toymaker was the loud, desperate screams emanating from inside the fog. The air around the fog was also filled with bright flashes of light. He nearly feared the TARDIS itself would be struck by lightning.

“Now!!” the Doctor exclaimed, pushing a button. The center column began rising and falling rapidly, alerting them to the ship's dematerialization.

Jamie breathed a sigh of relief ...

… Until the ship became rocked by a loud explosion.


End file.
